When bogus software patents burst forth upon the scene, the trick was to take an obvious, garden-variety solution and tack the phrase "... with a computer" onto the end of it.
Now, we're inserting "... using an AI engine". In this case, those are totally empty words; there's no universally understood meaning for that language, and the description stands on its own with those words removed. (And is clearly not patentable.)
"Anyone clinging to that belief is simply deluding themselves..."
But... but... the American President believes that, and is threatening the Chinese government with those allegations. Is it possible he's deluding himself?
Yay, competition! Also could lead to epic "churn"... add a boutique service for a month, binge the content of interest, and cancel. That actually would be far cheaper than one-off "renting" individual episodes. (Does anyone actually do that?)
I've watched favorite series vanish suddenly from Netflix or Amazon Prime (sometimes from both at once), usually in mid-binge. What will happen to the beleaguered hero in S3E7? To find out, I need a subscription to PBS Masterpiece, Britbox, or one of Amazon's $6.99/mo add-ons.
For me, this completely obliterates the freedom and promise of OTT/streaming. It's also promoted a kind of "streaming hedonism", a live-for-today mentality that requires immediate, continuous binging to hedge against the prospect of that content disappearing without warning... and that's not my favorite way to view. Next question: does anyone care?
Bundled cable pay services certainly didn't care what we thought about their policies and practices; it was a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. (Notice I keep saying "was" regarding cable.) OTT services, though, were born and flourished due in large part to their desire to track user sentiment... make people happy. Have they gone to the dark side?
And the complicating factor is the fact that the rise of the major streaming platforms empowered individual content creators with new and undreamed-of revenue streams; now, they're feelin' their oats, and are willing to withhold and re-deploy content to maximize return. My Brit-cop dramas are now sprinkled indiscriminately across services from Netflix, PBS, Amazon, Acorn and Britbox... do they realize they're becoming the new villains, keeping me from my content?
And, as Karl suggests, will that drive me to the nearest Tor node? Make it easy and reasonably-priced, and I'm first in line with my pocketbook open; start mucking around like this, and my capitalist loyalty starts to wither...
I got it once. The unicorn ride was definitely cool, but that rainbow-shooting thing isn't as amazing as it sounds... I was eating breakfast off the mantelpiece for a week.
Invoking the First Amendment is the most cost effective... best ROI for shareholders! This way, you don't have to assign a staffer to read the Second, Third, Fourth and so on, and try to understand what they're about.
You'd think that those mainstream critics of "government overreach" in every country would resist the pandering effort to create giant slag heaps of empty, duplicative laws drawn from the topical headlines of the moment... but you'd be wrong. Because writing your own law named for Jennifer, Julie or Jasmine looks good on a campaign flyer.
Not that I'll ever admit to listening to police calls on a scanner (ahem)... on multiple occasions, I've heard dispatchers desperately trying to to convince testosterone-fueled patrol officers to break off pursuits that looked to end in tragedy. High speed chases in congested areas aren't generally warranted for busted taillights or, more likely, for failure to respect a young male's nascent authority. So, yes... I think the dispatchers would love to throw a vehicle's computer into "limp home" mode.
You've gotta love it when parts of speech make the news. Next up: Can government issue injunctions against participles? Is a gerund eligible for personhood?
On the post: GAO Will Investigate The FCC's Dubious DDoS Attack Claims
Too bad we've abandoned that old-timey "evidence based" notion. We can still check Twitter, though, to find out what REALLY happened.
On the post: The 'Gawker Effect' Is Chilling Investigative Reporting Across The US
On the post: The Cyber World Is Falling Apart And The DOJ Is Calling For Weakened Encryption
On the post: Deputy AG Pitches New Form Of Backdoor: 'Responsible Encryption'
Well, come on, now... we’re all adults here. I mean, there’s “encryption”, and then there’s encryption. (wink-wink)
On the post: Oracle Tells The White House: Stop Hiring Silicon Valley People & Ditch Open Source
"The USG’s enthusiasm for open source software is wholly inconsistent with..."
... Oracle's need to skim easy federal money from decades-old, proprietary installations.
On the post: Stupid Patent Of The Month: Will Patents Slow Artificial Intelligence?
Re: Good lord!
Now, we're inserting "... using an AI engine". In this case, those are totally empty words; there's no universally understood meaning for that language, and the description stands on its own with those words removed. (And is clearly not patentable.)
On the post: How The Supreme Court's Continued Misunderstanding Of Copyright Ruined Halloween
A bunch of possible outcomes, but...
On the post: Chinese High-Tech Startups: Now More Copied Than Copying
"Anyone clinging to that belief is simply deluding themselves..."
But... but... the American President believes that, and is threatening the Chinese government with those allegations. Is it possible he's deluding himself?
On the post: As 'Star Trek: Discovery' Shows, The Streaming Exclusivity Wars Risk Driving Users Back To Piracy
Re: Is it a bad thing?
On the post: As 'Star Trek: Discovery' Shows, The Streaming Exclusivity Wars Risk Driving Users Back To Piracy
For me, this completely obliterates the freedom and promise of OTT/streaming. It's also promoted a kind of "streaming hedonism", a live-for-today mentality that requires immediate, continuous binging to hedge against the prospect of that content disappearing without warning... and that's not my favorite way to view. Next question: does anyone care?
Bundled cable pay services certainly didn't care what we thought about their policies and practices; it was a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. (Notice I keep saying "was" regarding cable.) OTT services, though, were born and flourished due in large part to their desire to track user sentiment... make people happy. Have they gone to the dark side?
And the complicating factor is the fact that the rise of the major streaming platforms empowered individual content creators with new and undreamed-of revenue streams; now, they're feelin' their oats, and are willing to withhold and re-deploy content to maximize return. My Brit-cop dramas are now sprinkled indiscriminately across services from Netflix, PBS, Amazon, Acorn and Britbox... do they realize they're becoming the new villains, keeping me from my content?
And, as Karl suggests, will that drive me to the nearest Tor node? Make it easy and reasonably-priced, and I'm first in line with my pocketbook open; start mucking around like this, and my capitalist loyalty starts to wither...
On the post: Appeals Court Tells Patent Trolls' Favorite Judge He Can't Just Ignore The Supreme Court To Keep Patent Cases In Texas
On the post: Desperate To Stop Leaks, The Trump Administration Considers Moving From Bad Ideas To Worse Ones
Re: Can we hook Trump up to a polygraph?
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Re: One day
On the post: Lawyer: Without The Monkey's Approval, PETA Can't Settle Monkey Selfie Case
Re:
On the post: Documentary About Freeing Happy Birthday From Copyfraud Comes Out The Day After Happy Birthday Officially Declared Public Domain
Re:
On the post: Comcast Sues Vermont, Insists Having To Expand Broadband Violates Its First Amendment Rights
Re: Double Standards
On the post: Repeal All UK Terrorism Laws, Says UK Government Adviser On Terrorism Laws
On the post: Techdirt Turns Twenty!
On the post: Deputy Who Rear-Ended Driver At 104 MPH Had Horrendous Service Record, Received Almost Zero Discipline
Re:
On the post: Failed Cybersquatter Asks Supreme Court To Declare 'Google' A Generic Term
Verbs in violation
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